The social networking community Facebook allows its users to limit the visibility of status messages and uploads including photos. This allows users such as freelance designers to privately share images with clients or colleagues who are on your Facebook friends list. This feature can be helpful when groups of people are collaborating and want to share feedback on an image.

Creating and Editing Friends Lists for Photo Sharing

1. Log in to Facebook. Place your mouse over the “Friends” link in the left column. Click the “More” link that appears. A page called “Friends” with your lists appears on the next page. It includes close friends, acquaintances, family and automatic lists based on where you live, where you work and information culled from your Facebook profile.

2. Click the “Close Friends” list. This is a list that Facebook auto-generates but you can edit it. Click “Manage List.” Two options appear in the drop-down menu: “Edit List” and “Choose Update Types.”

3. Click “Edit list.” An “Edit Close Friends” pop up box appears. Click “Friends” in the drop-down menu to show a list of your friends’ profile icons. Select the icons of the friends you want to add to the list. A check mark appears on the icon of the friends you select. If you want to remove someone on the list, select his icon and the check mark disappears. Click “Finish” to save your list.

4. Click “Manage List” and select “Choose Update Types.” Decide what types of updates -- including photos -- you want to share with this list. By default, all types are selected and have a check mark next to them. Select photos to remove the check mark if you do not want this list to see photos that you post.

5. Click the “More” link after placing your mouse over the Friends links in the left column to return to the “Friends” page of lists. For all the other lists, designate whether or not you want them to see any photos that you post. Click the name of the list that you want to edit. Click “Manage List” and then select “Choose Update Types.” Select or deselect “Photos.”

Selective Sharing When Uploading a Photo

1. Log in to Facebook. Click “Add Photo/Video” at the top of the news feed. Click “Upload Photo/Video.”

2. Click the “Public” link next to the blue “Post” button. A drop-down menu appears that allows you to choose several options for sharing your photo. They include “Public,” “Friends,” “Only Me,” “Custom,” “Close Friends” and “Acquaintances.”

3. Choose an option from your precreated lists in the menu or choose “Custom” if you want to customize visibility specifically for this photo. When you select “Custom,” a Custom Privacy pop-up screen appears.

4. Choose a sharing option from the “These people or list” drop-down menu. You can select “Friends,” “Friends of Friends,” “Specific People or Lists,” or “Only Me.” If you choose “Specific People or Lists,” a field appears where you type in the names of the friends with whom you want to share the photo. Only those friends can see the image. If you subsequently tag someone in the photo who is not on this specific list, he will also be able to see the photo.

5. Type the names of friends or lists you specifically want to hide the photo from in the “Hide this from” field. This is helpful for sharing options other than “Custom.” Click “Save Changes.”

6. Click “Choose File” to search for the image on your computer and upload it. Add a status message in the status box. Click “Post.” The photo now has sharing restrictions. You can edit the sharing restrictions of a photo at any time by clicking on the small sharing visibility icon underneath it in your Timeline or in your albums. For example, if you share the photo only with yourself, a lock icon appears. If you share it with close friends, an icon of a gold star appears.

7. Click on the icon underneath your posted photo and a drop-down menu appears with all the sharing options. If you want to edit the photo’s visibility, choose another option from the drop-down menu.

About the Author

Lauren Miller has more than 10 years of experience as a writer and editor. Her articles on technology, small business and legal topics have appeared in magazines, newspapers and trade journals. She has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and is an avid gardener and sports fan.